No easy answer for Stars, who are trying to juggle development on blue line with desire to win now

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Dallas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (5) and Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) celebrate after Klingberg scored a game tying goal during the second period of their game on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Dallas Stars were down 3-0 during the first period and came back to score 3 goals during the second period. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

ST. LOUIS - The challenge of building a long-term winner in the NHL while trying to win every day is a full-time job.

The Stars came to practice Wednesday determined to bounce back from a disappointing 5-2 home loss to Nashville only to find out that goalie Ben Bishop has a back injury and won't be able to play Thursday in St. Louis (Kari Lehtonen will start instead). And while coach Ken Hitchcock believes Antoine Roussel is over a bout with the flu that has kept him out for three games, the prognosis right now is the they simply "hope" he can play against the Blues.

That's sort of how the team has dealt with its defense for the past few seasons. Trying to incorporate developing players with veterans while juggling injuries, the Dallas blue line has been in flux. But that's simply where they are as a franchise right now.

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After letting go of Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Kris Russell before last season because of increasing contract demands, the Stars have put a lot of faith in a younger group. John Klingberg is taking a leading role now at age 25 with 250 games of experience, but Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak and Julius Honka combine for fewer than 400 games, and that creates growth issues.

"You can't develop five at a time, so we're trying to work with each one and develop each one as best we can," Hitchcock said. "Players who have the most top end like Lindell are going to get more minutes. We've seen even with players like Klingberg there is still development needed there. So it's a big job, trying to get it all to fit together, but we really think we are making progress with the entire group."

One of the biggest issues right now is juggling Oleksiak and Honka as healthy scratches. Oleksiak, 25, is in his sixth NHL season and has played 138 games. Honka, 22, has played just 25 NHL games. Oleksiak is 6-7, 255 pounds and uses his size to defend. Honka is 5-11, 186 pounds and uses his skating to possess the puck. Oleksiak is left-handed, Honka is right-handed. In a perfect world, they both can be useful.

"We like both of them, but we also know they are at different stages in their development," Hitchcock said. "Honks is a young player who is very much on the learning curve, so we play him protected. We're trying to set a foundation for him of positional play, and he's doing well with it. But we also are trying to teach him how to play without the puck, and that's something [assistant coach] Rick [Wilson] is working on, with understanding gaps and understanding playing without the puck, so it's a work in progress."

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Oleksiak has played 19 games this season to nine for Honka in large part because the coaching staff believes Oleksiak is a better fit with Stephen Johns, who is right-handed.

"The left-right thing is a factor. I think Johns plays best on the right side, and Oleksiak allows us to do that," Hitchcock said.

Honka has produced significantly better possession numbers. In the past two seasons, Honka is plus-72 in SAT (shot attempt differential at even strength) in 25 games. Oleksiak, meanwhile, is minus-24 in 60 games. Still, the coaches say they like the fit and intangibles Oleksiak brings.

"We're trying to build a team that's hard to play against, and we feel he has a very positive influence on that," Hitchcock said. "We feel he's a player who is getting better daily. Honks is the same way, but there are just times we feel Oleksiak helps us more."

In the perfect world, veteran Marc Methot will return from a knee injury by New Year's, and both younger defensemen will sit. And while that might not be best for the development of either, it will be best for the team's chances at winning games right now.

"We like our team competitively, but we don't have a lot of experience," Hitchock said. "Methot is a big part of what we want from our group back there, so when he's out, then we lose a lot. We need that experience back. Our guys are competing, but we just can't have that much inexperience back there all at one time."